Menopause benefits may begin heating up in today’s workplace, experts tell HR Dive.
Long a gap in coverage for women workers, demand is starting to push some employers to take action.
Menopause is “a normal part of aging” and marks the point at which a woman’s menstrual periods permanently stop, according to the National Institute on Aging. Yet it remains “underdiagnosed and undertreated,” a May report by PwC, a professional services network, found.
“This gap has meaningful economic consequences,” per the PwC report.
Menopause symptoms — hot flashes, trouble sleeping, forgetfulness and trouble concentrating, among others — typically occur during a woman’s peak career years and can contribute to lower productivity, greater absenteeism and even workforce attrition, PwC said. It is estimated to lead to $1.8 billion in lost work time annually in the U.S.
“If you have senior women who are at the peak of their earnings potential and the peak of their leadership potential, then going through menopause and not getting the treatment that they need like that is a cost to you as an employer,” Claire Love, PwC’s deals strategy principal, told HR Dive. “So ideally, you don’t need to have folks stepping off the employment curve, but you actually can better support them so that they can be their best self at work.”
Nearly 7 in 10 U.S. adults think women shouldn’t be expected to silently “push through” perimenopause or menopause symptoms at work, according to the results of a 2,000-person survey conducted in March by The Harris Poll on behalf of Wondr Health, which provides a weight loss management program.
Dealing with this life stage without support can have real consequences, a 2023 report by Korn Ferry and Vira Health found; thirteen percent of 8,000 women surveyed globally said they had quit their jobs because of menopausal symptoms and another 15% said they considered doing so.
“This is definitely a retention issue. It’s an attraction issue,” Maria Trapenasso, head of human capital solutions at insurer NFP, told HR Dive.
‘A missed opportunity’
In its 2026 U.S. leave management report, NFP characterized menopause leave as “a missed opportunity.” The report found that only 10% of employers provide menopause-related accommodations, such as flexible hours, health or wellness programs, extra time off or specialty benefits like hormone therapy.
Of the nearly 800 organizations surveyed, 62% said they are unlikely to offer menopause leave in the next five years.
“There is some innovation, but adoption really hasn’t caught up to the need,” Trapenasso said. “Employees are actually demanding it, but there’s no supply. There are not enough employers really offering this to their employees to make a meaningful difference.”
Employers should “consider menopause support as the next frontier in gender-equitable benefits,” NFP said.
Change is coming
Love and Trapenasso expect to see some change in offerings as laws — and stigma — evolve.
“Employers aren’t going to have a choice soon enough,” Trapenasso said.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February removed the “black box” label from six menopausal hormone therapy products, also known as hormone replacement therapy, warning about risks for cardiovascular disease, breast cancer and dementia.
“So many generations of women, they were told, ‘HRT is dangerous and you should not go on HRT unless absolutely necessary.’ With the black box label removed and the change in the guidance, that fundamentally opened up a new set of alternatives,” Love said.
At the same time, states are legislating change.
Last year, Rhode Island became the first state in the country to require employers to provide workplace accommodations for workers and candidates experiencing menopause or related conditions. The “groundbreaking legislation” amended the Rhode Island Fair Employment Practices Act and went into effect June 24, 2025.
Other states have followed suit. California, New York, Virginia and others have introduced proposals to amend their antidiscrimination, harassment, and accommodation laws to cover menopause.
“For employers, this trend is less about creating entirely new obligations and more about making implicit expectations explicit and eliminating the stigma often associated with menopause,” partners at law firm ArentFox Schiff wrote in an April blog post. “Understanding the intentions of these new laws, and how they fit into existing compliance structures, is key to staying ahead of what may be the next wave of accommodation requirements.”